I Used to Want You Dead, But
by Afatcat101
Summary: SPOILER ALER: If you have not beaten Portal 2, skip this and move on...Freedom has been all Chell wanted her entire life. But is the outside world really the best place to be? What happens with Chell ad GLaDOS once they're separated?
1. Welcome To the Real World

Welcome To the Real World

**[Author's Note: Here's the first chapter of my first (technically second) posted story. It's a follow-up of my last story, starting off directly after the monologues. Originally the whole story was one long story, not several chapters, but I decided to put the first two "chapters" up as one story, and now I'm proceeding from there. So, I hope it ends up good. Review please, tell me thoughts, rate it, comment, whatever. I'll ****upload every day, once or twice, but sometimes my internet dies on me so I might not for a couple of days. Thanks and enjoy!]**

**[P.S. If there are any words missing an N, my apologies, I've gone through these to fix any missing N's, but I might have missed some.]**

Chell – It's been several days since I was out of Aperture. Every few miles apart I would find an abandoned barn or an old house falling apart. Everything I came across was torn apart, covered in plants, and reminded me of the facility. For one night I had to sleep in a broken down farmhouse. The building was a two story house, but the stairs had collapsed seemingly a long time ago. Instead of wasting time and energy trying to get up there, where a bed most likely lay, I just slept on the couch. It sagged inwards under my weight and a cloud of dust blew up when I sat down. It wasn't like the stasis beds in Aperture, but it was a place for me to rest.

I lay on the couch for hours, nightmares and memories forbidding me to sleep. Tossing and turning on the couch, followed by eventual pacing around the room, led to just lying on the couch, staring at my Companion Cube. It sat in front of me, glowing dimly in the night, allowing dust to collect on the top already. It whirred soothingly to me, as if humming me a lullaby. My eye lids began to droop at some point, and my mind slowly started to wander off. I closed my eyes and let myself drift into sleep for the first time in a very long time.

Upon my second day of walking aimlessly around with my Companion Cube, I came across a city. I carried the cube along, growing used to the weight, and walked towards the city. From afar it looked like a nice place. But the closer I got, the worse it looked. The buildings were missing windows and walls; one was missing a whole top level. The road was uneven and in desperate need of new pavement. Weeds infested the sidewalks and snaked up along building walls. A car lay in the middle of the road, rusted and falling apart. What happened up here? It looked like nobody's lived here for decades, but why?

I walked through the streets, looking this way and that for some sign of life. Nothing but rubble came up, at first, but later I was accompanied by crows. Strange to see so many of them like this; the most I've seen together would be two, maybe three. But this had to be at least seven or eight. I watched them in curiosity as they flew around, disappearing and reappearing from around corners of buildings. At one point they all separated, all flying their own ways. One stayed nearby, sitting on a wire that hung by tall poles above the streets. Struck by my curious nature, I set my friend down and followed the bird when it flew off around a corner. I was entertained, walking after the crow, wondering where it would take me, but once I turned the corner my blood ran cold.

Lying ahead of me was a dead body. Instinctively I covered my mouth and nose by both of my hands, holding what air I had gasped in. The body was leaning against a building, nearly fully discomposed. I watched in silent shock as the crow flew to it and sat on its leg, pecking at the bones. Immediately, I turned around and headed back for my Companion Cube, now fully aware of how many bodies, now almost completely skeletons, lay in the road or buildings or cars. Each step grew quicker and more anxious. I had to get out of this place. Once I got the cube in my arms again, I quickly found my way out of the metropolitan graveyard. I didn't go back to the wheat field, but instead I went down the road. If there's one city, and a road, there's bound to be another city, hopefully next time more lively. So much for a nice place to stay.

The walk was just as silent as the city, aside from the coo of the box. My thoughts were haunted by the decaying citizens, and the mystery behind them. It was strange how everyone was dead. Why? What caused it? Naturally, I accused GLaDOS and her horrific testing. Maybe she was secretly running a state wide test on every living creature outside; maybe the whole world, though that would be highly unlikely…Would it? I shook my head and pushed those concerns into the back of my mind. I didn't need to be thinking of that place anymore, especially now that I was out in the real world, rather than that unreal, robotic nightmare.

I walked along the road for the longest time. Seriously, I didn't stop to rest until I was awoken by a loud crash in the sky. I was walking in a haze, hardly aware of where I was going or even that I was still walking. Sometime in the night, my mind started to wander off on its own, allowing me to get lost in my past and memories. What brought me out of the sleepwalking haze was a cold, wet sensation all over my body. Automatically I panicked, thinking it was some type of repulsion gel or conversion gel, and that it was extremely dangerous. Several of seconds of racing thoughts and panicky, desperate attempts to escape the gel had passed before I was actually back into the present. Once I composed myself, I looked around and realized that the 'gel' I was covered in was actually rain. Finally calm again, and honestly a little embarrassed, I looked around for some shelter. Nearby was a small wooden house. It wasn't a safe looking place, but it had a roof and walls, and that's all that mattered.

Moments upon entering the house, I regretted it. The one roomed building smelled of a dead animal. The moment I went inside, I covered my mouth and nose, and gagged. I suppressed another feeling of compete nausea and took small steps further inside. It was all dark inside; I couldn't see a thing, and I tripped over something, falling on top of a body. Instantly I held myself up and threw up. I lay kneeling there as I wretched, hating myself for being so stupid as to enter the house. Once I was sure I had nothing left to puke up, I shot up and dashed out to the street, falling down next to my Companion Cube. It glowed softly in the rain and hummed peacefully to me. Quickly my mind stopped swirling from the rush of panic and shock of the day…or days. Honestly, I had lost track of how long it's been since I left the city. It felt like a day, but it could have been two days, maybe three. However long it has been, all I knew was that I was starving, cold, wet, and tired. The only thing I could help was my exhaustion. So, with that, I allowed my eyes to close and let the gentle hum of my friend put me to sleep.

**[So there's the first chapter for you. I hope it turns out better than I'm expecting. Please, review away. I could use all the criticism I can get. Remember, reviews are just as loved as our loyal Companion Cube!]**


	2. Cooperative Testing Initiative

Cooperative Testing Initiative

GLaDOS – Portal, bridge, portal, walk, wave, portal, fall, die, laugh, wait, worry, come back, wave, be hugged. Repeat several times.

"There is a reason these tests were created. To be completed; not to be used as a playground," I said as the two bots hugged once more. They were only on their 37th test chamber, and they start acting like human children. Even when I spoke, the two bots proceeded to mess around.

"I'm working on a new project: shutting off the reassembling machine. That way, if you fail at a test, you won't come back…Just an idea to think about," I said, both extremely annoyed, and very cheery. I thought about how quiet my facility would be without those two robots making a mess.

At my words, Orange and Blue froze in their laughter and looked up to the ceiling, most likely at me. Both showed fear and curiosity. They both questioned whether I was actually going to do that, or if I was just bluffing. They know me too well. I couldn't get rid of them; they were my only way to test anymore. With Chell gone now, I had nothing to do. There were no more humans (none alive, at least) to test. So, I figured, why not start that Cooperative Testing Initiative now?

Only a week into it and they had finished all of the courses three times and counting. Each time they finished a test, they grew more and more bold; waving into the camera, doing a stupid dance for me, even actually _laughing_ at me! I've gotten so close to destroying them for good, but then what would I do? They're my only ways left to test, so I let them test over and over again. But now, I'm bored of it. And now, I have nothing to do.

I thought briefly about my decision to let Chell go, and wondered why I did it. What had possessed me to care about that woman's safety? She was nothing but a dirty, brain damaged, mute psycho that had killed me once, revived me, tried killing me again, and then destroyed my facility with that little moron. I should have let those Turrets fire. I should have killed her when I had the chance. Or force her to keep testing, to the very least. That way I wouldn't have to live through the constant bickering between the two bots. Instead, I gave her the whole world to run around, along with that useless box. Well, it wasn't entire useless; I still had the cameras…Maybe I could just check in on her and see if she's okay- No. I sent her away so I would never have to deal with her again. There was a reason behind my actions…

Maybe just a peek…for the sheer science of observing a test subject after a week of being set free. All for science. I switched to the Companion Cube cameras and looked around through all of them. Five out of six cameras were either completely covered, or only showed rain in the dark. Not only was it pouring, but there was a thick fog in the air; even I couldn't see further than 30 feet ahead in any direction. After admiring the downpour for a moment, I moved to the sixth camera, coming to face an unconscious girl. She lay in the middle of the road maybe three feet away from the cube, facing me. Her hair rested messily around her face, wet ad stringy. Her lips changed from a slight curvature upwards, to a sudden frown ad furrowing of the brows. I was immediately curious of this woman. I've never before seen her so peaceful, yet so filled with horror. All these years, I've seen this girl face death on a daily basis without single twitch of fear on her face, but here, out in the world and free of danger, she looked terrified.

I wondered about this. Why was she scared? What did she see out there that had struck her to be so horrifying? Was it _really_ out _there_ that had her scared, or was it what I had put her through? That thought worried me, and immediately I deleted it. Guilt overwhelmed me once I realized that _I_ was the one she was scared of. If not me, then my facility, but that made no difference; the facility was a part of me. Either way, _I_ forced her through those tests, _I_ had tried killing her every day, _I _had put her through a lifetime of trauma just for the pleasure of seeing someone in pain. And the fact that she never showed fear annoyed me, and I pushed her harder, and created tests specifically so she would be defeated, but nothing fazed her. I made her suffer for my own desires. My poor little Chell- Stop that. Really? Sympathy? Why would I every feel sympathy for that monster? I snarled in disgust and quickly shut off the camera, switching back to the test cameras.

Blue picked up a box with his gun and spun around to give it to Orange, hitting her directly in the back of her head and causing her to fall off of a ledge, into the deadly water. He set the box down and went to look over the ledge, as Orange came out of her reassembly chamber. She marched over to the other bot, steaming mad, and violently shoved him into the water. A satisfied giggle came from her as he exploded, bits and pieces flying everywhere. Moments later, Blue came back out and smacked Orange in the back of her head, causing her main core to fall out to the floor and bob around. He burst into laughter as the tall robot squealed and felt around the area for her body and optic. Once she got it back, she swung it down on Blue and fixed it into place. This fight went on for a while, until I spoke, so fumed with irritation I almost blew a circuit.

"Enough with this nonsense, or I will disassemble you, piece by piece in the most painful way possible! Then we'll see who's laughing at whose pain!" I growled. The two bots jumped back in shock of my tone and rushed through the test. They quickly got to the end of the last test, and did a small dance in celebration, followed by a hug. I sighed to myself and waited for them to return to the first test chamber once again.


	3. Dreams To Nightmares

Dreams to Nightmares

Chell – Sudden flashes of Turrets and running and fire and falling brought me out of my dreams. I woke with a start, sweating and gasping for breath. My pulse raced. _Calm down, Chell,_ I thought to myself, _It was just a dream._ I took a deep, steady breath and relaxed my muscles. Straightening out my legs brought a shot of pain up through my shin and hovering around my knee. I sat up and saw a deep, violet splotch all around my knee and upper shin. My head hurt as well, and I struggled to get a good memory of what happened the past night. The only thing I could remember was that it was cold, and I was hungry and tired. But then, slowly my memory improved and I immediately wished I hadn't remembered.

I sat up and rubbed my head, looking at my Companion Cube. It sat peacefully a few feet away, and I scooted over to rest my arm on it. It purred contently, soothing me enough to think straight. I had so many questions that needed answers soon. What happened up here? Why was I the only person out here alive? _Am_ I the only one alive anymore, or are there others? If so, I needed to find them and find out what was going on. And, if there were any people out there, I made that my motivation to keep moving. Fresh with determination, I stood up (nearly falling down when fire ran through my right leg), lifted my Companion Cube, and continued on my way down the road.

The pavement was wet and shining in the day light. It cracked and swerved around in several directions; obviously it hadn't been fixed for a very long time. This rough terrain made it difficult to walk without tripping or growing tired quickly, as if my bruised shin wasn't hard enough. It really took a lot out of you. Eventually, after hours of walking, I came across a river. I quickened my pace and changed course for the water. The river flowed calmly through the ground, creating such a relaxing sound, almost as peaceful as the whirring Companion Cube next to me. Engulfed in the tranquil sound of both the river and the cube, I sat with my eyes closed for a few minutes. This was the first time in a long time, if ever, that I've had such peace and quiet. It was so comforting, I almost forgot about everything that's happened to me in the past. I almost felt like a normal person with a normal, happy life with less evil robots.

A gust of wind blew lightly at my face, bringing me back to the present. Now, I was more aware of how hot it was, and how thirsty I was. Right then, I opened my eyes and cupped my hands, lowering them into the water ad bringing them back out. A small sip of water laid dripping from my palms and I leaned over to drink it. The small pool swam around on my dry tongue, cooling it instantly. I sighed happily and cupped up another bunch of water. This was amazing; I haven't ever been able to drink any water at all. In Aperture, the only times I would get water or nutrients was when I was in stasis, and the water was through IV's. I never actually tasted it or felt the cool liquid rush down my throat. Even flavorless, it was sweet; sweeter than any cake I had heard of. I was in Heaven, drinking that water, and I never wanted to stop.

A tickle started up I my throat, and suddenly, I was coughing. The fit was so harsh I could barely breathe, and with each cough, I gasped for air. Panic struck me once I felt a pain in my chest. I needed air, I couldn't breathe. Instinctively, I sat up and covered my mouth, coughing violently. The tickle turned to a scratch, which turned to painful itch. Finally, several agonizing minutes of gasping and choking passed before the fit settled down, and I could breathe properly again. Once I calmed down and was breathing normally, I looked to my Companion Cube. _Thanks for helping me_, I thought sarcastically, _some friend you are._

It just whirred lightly, seeming entertained by my fake anger. Of course it was fake. I couldn't possibly get mad at my only friend. It was so loyal to me; never offending e or trying to kill me, never threatening to stab me. A chuckle burst out of my lips when I thought that. GLaDOS had said the exact thing when I was introduced to the Companion Cube. Of course, I don't know why I was thinking about that evil machine. The last thing I wanted to do was have that devil in my life anymore. I settled on hunger and thirst as to why I thought about her, and stood up. _Now_, I thought, _how am I going to keep this water?_ My shoes could hold a lot of water, but I didn't want to be walking on bare feet. Other than that, I had nothing to carry it with. Maybe there was a house near by further down the river. So, finally letting thirst and exhaustion make the decision, I chose to keep moving. With a huff, I picked up my loyal companion and went limping on my way.


	4. One Difference Between Humans and Robots

There Is One Difference Between Humans And Robots

**[Authors Note: sorry the last chapter was so short. I've only been working on it at, like, one in the morning; times I've been falling asleep. I'm trying to make this story move at a good pace, but not too slow. Also, if any words are missing an N, it's because my stupid N key is breaking. So, sorry about that. Anyway, reviews are just as loved as our Companion Cube, so review, review, review!]**

GLaDOS – Envy isn't something I'm familiar with. I've seen it. This rivalry one human feels they have with another. Coworkers would often be envious; usually it was because one worker was promoted and another wasn't. I've experienced observing it, but I've never felt it. I've never had a reason. Until one day; a week and three days after my facility was finally filled with peace and quiet. That is, if you consider two constantly fighting robots blow each other up day after day, their destructions echoing in my head every time. Yet, although they bicker, they always have a constantly growing relationship. The two hug more, laugh more, dance more, each day; and each day they get more distraught when their partner blows up. I watch them all day, seeing how they work together, no longer needing long, time consuming arguments about who should put what colored portal where. Now they simply listen to each other, work it out, and quickly finish the test, always beating their previous times. And, as much as it annoys me, one day upon watching the two embrace, I felt something.

It was a new feeling; like a sharp twinge of sorrow, yet anger. It was similar to jealousy, but worse. I hated it. I wanted it to stop, but it stuck there, like a tumor. It was envy. The bitterness spread through my circuits, and I hunted down the source. I came to find that it was envy of the two bots. Why would I be jealous of them? They're ignorant, childish, immortal test subjects. Nothing more. What could possibly make me resent them? Baffled by this new information, I watched the machines much more closely than usual.

Orange and Blue stood at the entrance of the test. They took a second to observe the trial, then turned to each other. Orange chittered something in their language, followed by Blue shaking his head and pointing to the test, chirping excitedly. They went back and forth with clicking and beeping, when finally Orange held up her had in a fist. Blue looked at it for a second, then sighed and mimicked her action. They shook their hands, threw out gestures, and Orange squealed. She threw arms in the air and did a little dance, as Blue grumbled in defeat. He trudged to the ledge, where two buttons lay, ad stood between the two. Orange shot a red portal across the room on the other side of a pit, and shot a yellow portal on the wall behind her. She went through and Blue stepped on the button to his left, which had an arrow pointing down. Orange went forward when a wall was out of her way, then waited for her partner to move the others. They continued going through this maze full of ups and downs until Orange had a Laser Redirecting Cube. She went halfway through the maze until she came to a white wall. Placing the cube down, she put a red portal there, then continued through with the windowed box.

Blue chirped in approval and watched as Orange put the box under a laser, bringing it to move to a white wall. She stepped back ad gestured kindly for her partner to do the honors, and without hesitation he finished the test, putting a portal where the laser was, then putting another directly across from a receiver, thus making the door open. Orange squealed and hugged Blue; another surge of envy flowed through me. I noted that. Hugs made me resentful. After thinking that, I figured it wasn't exactly right. It wouldn't make sense if just hugs made me hate my creations. I pondered that. What could it be? Could it be the physical feeling of embracing another being? Or is it actually envy for company? The two robots have each other every day; someone to joke with, to laugh with, to dance with. They have each other as friends, siblings, possible attractions; and they can go to one another for comfort or for a small game of Rock, Paper, Scissors.

_That's it_, I thought, _It's the company. Having someone they care about with them_. Why would I feel that? I don't care about anybody. I only care about science and testing. A virtual frown lay in my mind as I thought about it. Nothing came to mind that I cared even the slightest about. Well, nothing, that is, except one thing. One Horrible, wrong thought that shouldn't even exist. But it did, and as soon as it came up, I couldn't get it out of my head, no matter how hard I tried to delete it. No matter what I did, the feeling clung to me, growing heavier and more painful to deal with. For days I've pushed it back to the darkest corner of my mind, leaving it to sulk around on its own, leaving me alone so I could finish testing in peace; but I couldn't ignore it this time.

A sick cough disturbed my panic and made me alert again. I looked around for the source of the noise, but found nothing. The cough came again, this time going on much longer, and sounding much worse than last time. Suddenly I knew where it came from. Only one source I knew could cough. Immediately upon figuring it out, I needed to check. _No!_ I was torn into two. One half of me wanted to help, whereas the other half wanted her to suffer.

_Ignore her! She deserves to die! You would be a fool to bring her back in_! Half of me said. The other half snarled in disgust, _She's been through enough pain and suffering with the tests. I set her free so she would be happy and safe, not so she could live with pain._ Of course, upon thinking that, I knew bringing her back would defeat all purposes of sending her away. I sighed in defeat ad turned my focus on the robots. The friends were waving into the camera, laughing and joking about who knows what. Their bottom shutter closed slightly, making it appear they're smiling. They very well could have been smiling; they seemed happy enough.

"Yes, let's all laugh. Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha," I said, in too much of a sulky mood to bother sounding annoyed. The envy had subtly turned to depression; another new, and very, annoying feeling. Nothing I did could lift this negative weight. I reverted to spontaneously blowing up the robots, but nothing improved my mood. Perfect. This is the last thing I need to add to my boring, lonely life.

Instantly my thoughts flickered to the Companion Cube. Just one peek, that's all I need. I just want to prove my point that she doesn't need me, and I don't need her. Very quickly, switched to the view of the cube, stopping when I saw her. She was sitting by a river, letting her feet soak in the water. She was leaning back, using her hands to hold her up. Her posture looked peaceful and happy, so filled with joy. Though, her face said something else. She was tired, hungry, ill; suffering worse than in my facility. Her cheek bones were beginning to show off of her ghostly pale face. Her eyes bagged and more grey than normal. She looked worse than she ever had during her time here. Even emotionally, she looked strained. I was expecting peace and joy, as she had shown her first day of freedom, but now she only showed fear and sorrow and pain, and everything I between.

I sighed. Now, not only was I alone, but my only source of joy was off dying in the middle of nowhere. _Enough_ I snarled, _Stop with this pathetic self—pity. She is nothing to you. She never has been and never will be._ I knew I was right, and I was just about to turn off the cameras when the woman sat upright, coughing horribly. Her body shook violently as the raging fit continued. As she pulled away from her mouth, I saw a spot of blood in her palm. A surge of emotions overwhelmed me. They swam around my circuits, frying everything they touched. If I had blood, it would have both boiled ad frozen over together. My darling Chell was sick, and dying.

Suddenly I flipped to the testing cameras and stopped the bots mid-dance, "I have a new mission for you two," I said with a forced calm tone, "It requires full movement outside of the facility, and complete cooperation. No messing around; this test will be timed."

The machines looked at each other, the to the camera, wiggling with excitement. I spoke again, a bit quicker this time, "You will both be given coordinates. You must find a girl, a human girl-" At this they glowed "-and bring her back to the facility. Immediately." They nodded and headed to the disassembly chambers. I spoke as they were transported to the lift that lead outside, "You must move quickly, if you don't come back within twenty-four hours, you will be punished."

With that as their encouragement, they set off through the field, portal guns in hand. Very quickly upon leaving, Orange stopped and shot a portal to the side of the outhouse. Blue high-fived her and they continued on their journey. I watched through Blue's optical and saw the world above me. It looked much worse than what was around my cameras. Buildings were destroyed, cars lay broken down in the middle of the roads. Houses they went through looked abandoned and dusty; impossible to live in. Watching the ruined world above me, I thought to myself, _what did I do to my daughter?_


	5. Cara Mia

Cara Mia

**[AN: A turn of events will take place here. What both Chell and GLaDOS believed, turns out to be all wrong. Nearing the end, I believe. Don't know how this is gonna end up. Remember, reviews are our friends. Make a new friend and review today!]**

Chell – For the last few days I've been coughing, feeling nauseous, exceedingly tired and in a lot of pain. Still, I keep marching forward, my long fall boots marking deep lined in the dirt as I drag my feet along. I've been too tired, and the bruise on my leg has been in too much pain to fully lift my feet off the ground. Hours go by as I trudge by the river before I stop to get some more water. Though, I stop less because with each break I take the less willing I am to get up. My muscles grow weaker, my thoughts run slower, my senses are dimmed; I'm breaking down with no way to gain strength. At long last, I've come to my defeat, and something finally has killed me.

With that thought lingering I my mind, I drop down to the ground, no longer strong enough to carry the Companion Cube. My arms hang by my side as I sit across from the cube, my eyes locked on one heart. The poor thing was still slightly charred, but that didn't seem to bother it. The lines connecting the hearts were starting to fade, also seeming to lose its strength. I sighed and turned to the river, cupping my hands, and slowly bringing out a sip of water. The liquid flowed on my tongue, filling each pore with glorious life. It crawled around my mouth, finally slithering down my throat. I let out a very satisfied sigh, filled with desire and pleasure. Out of any of the previous days, today had the best tasting water. Probably because, deep down, I knew it was the end, and I allowed myself to enjoy the heavenly taste while it lasted. I sipped the water from my bloody, dirt covered hands, closing my eyes as I took it in.

The cube whirred next to me, sounding desperate for a drink as well. With my hands cupped and filled with water, I slowly moved to the cube ad let the water splash on top of the box. _That's all you get, _I thought, _for ignoring me all day._ A slight realization hit me then, as I stare at the faded pink heart. I was talking to a cube. A metal, buzzing, glowing, decorated box. That's all it was, anyway; a decorative square. Humiliation filled me, followed by anger. I wasn't angry at the box, or at anyone in particular- wait…No, I was angry at _one_ thing. All of this was _her_ fault! It's her fault I was secluded from humanity. She kept me deep down underground for my entire life, forcing me through painful, traumatizing courses, whilst offending me with new insults for every breath I took. She was the reason I was out here in the middle of nowhere, dragging myself along the road, filled with false hope that there would be some help. A false hope, that was now dust in the wind.

Out of anger, I kicked the cube into the river. It sat half way in the water, still as peaceful as ever. My blood boiled; why couldn't she have kept that thing away from me? I didn't need a stupid box holding me back. It was a waste of time and energy to make and keep around. It should have burned when I threw it into the incinerator so many years ago. But, it was stubborn, and just wouldn't die. It just decided to stick around and cause emotional pain and physical struggle for me. Then it hit me. That's exactly how GLaDOS felt towards me. That both soothed me, and infuriated me together. _I hate her so much_.

I glowered at the cube for half a very long time. It just hummed, as if nothing else in the world mattered; nothing besides our being together. The glow had early fully dimmed, and the sun was starting to set. The light, though always faint, helped me at night. It relaxed me, as well as the cooing. It was like I wasn't alone in this world; and just for a moment, even the shortest moment, I felt like I really wasn't alone. I closed my eyes, enjoying the run of the river and the hum of the cube. That is, until the humming stopped. My eyes snapped open to look at the box. It was quiet. Fear struck me; had it died? No, it couldn't have died. That was my only friend, I needed that cube. My eyes stung immediately and tears blurred my vision. I blinked, forcing them back, and continued staring at my friend, hoping with all my might that it was still alive.

Silence filled the air. The wind had calmed and quieted, now only the river letting itself known. I watched how the water averted the cube, separating and going a different route around the square obstacle. With a sigh, I finally gave up, closing my eyes and lying down. Now, I was truly alone; not even accompanied by my one and only friend. I felt so bad about the things I thought; how it was nothing but prettied up junk. How stupid I was to think that. The Companion Cube has been nothing but loyal to me. It always relaxed me when I needed it most. I let a tear slip from my closed eyes.

Suddenly I heard something. It was hardly audible, but still it played. I sat up ad looked around for the noise. What disturbed me was that it was music; not only any type of music, but the instrumental beauty the Turrets sang to me. Instantly, I snapped to look at the cube. It glowed peacefully in the night, beeping the song ever so quietly. With all my strength, which wasn't a lot, I got up and pulled the cube out of the water. Being much closer and out of the water, the sound was much less muffled. That's it; it was the lullaby the Turrets played when I left. It wasn't as graphically pronounced as the original song, but this was the simple tune that the song originated from. I closed my eyes and a smile crept on my face. The song was beautiful then, and it was beautiful now; ad I could listen to it all night and all day.

Sadly, that wasn't the original plan, and my body would _not_ stand for an all-nighter. Slowly my mind started going off on its own, quickly running through one subject ad springing after another, like a hyperactive dog chasing bunnies. Just as I was slipping into unconsciousness, a twig snapped, bringing all of my thought back to focus. Instantly I opened my eyes, wide as ever, and searched wherever I could. My body was too weak to get up, even to sit. I breathed slowly through my mouth, keeping as quiet as possible. Whoever, or whatever, was there was about to leave when my throat dried up and my breath got caught by a cough. I rolled over to my stomach, and covered my mouth, trying to shut out as much of the cough as I could. Something an unknown distance away from me beeped, followed by some quiet buzzes and footsteps. My eyes shot open. It couldn't be. I turned slightly to my side and peered up behind my cube. Standing in front of me were two robots. One was short and blue, seeming to be made from an old core or a ball of some sort. Its optic was al blue, which glanced to the robot aside it. That one was much taller and skinnier than the former. It had more of an oval shape to its body, and orange covered the bot instead of blue. The familiarity looked like the colors of the Portal gun. Blue and orange. A corner of my mouth curved up weakly at the thought, and the bots chirped quietly to each other. The blue robot leaned in to me as the orange quickly shot a portal into the ground, and my vision faded black.

**[Wow. Only a few more chapters. What will happen? Read on to find out!]**


	6. Goodnight, Dear Chell

GLaDOS – The world was empty. The world was quiet. It was almost eerie how silent everything was. The roads were cleared of any human trace. No car or floating paper anymore. Nothing but dirt, road and trees. To be honest, it grew very boring to watch, so I decided to switch back and forth between the bots ad the cube. I turned to the cube, and watched the adult through the camera. She was walking along a river, dragging her boots in the mud. _How dare she!_ I thought automatically, _she is completely disrespecting testing equipment!_

I quickly shut off that thought. That wasn't the time to be thinking about silly boots. _Silly? Those boots are very important. They're our only pair._ I grumbled to myself. If they were really that important, I would have taken them away from Chell before I let her go. The voice in my head was silent after that, and I could focus on the girl. She looked much worse than when I saw her earlier this morning. Her skin was pale and her body was thin. She obviously hadn't eaten much, if at all, since she left, and she was growing very weak very quickly. The poor girl was carrying that heavy cube everywhere, and I instantly regretted putting the burden on her. _But then, if you hadn't given it to her, she would die and you wouldn't even notice,_ the voice said to me, much softer than last time, and made me relax a bit.

But still, I spoke to the bots, never leaving the cube's camera, "You're moving too slow. Stop messing around and move faster!" Chell walked, huffing ad gasping for air, but still she walked. I had to say, she was very determined ad never had the will to give up. Ironically, right as I thought that, she dropped to her knees, losing the cube in her fall. The cameras spun around for a bit until the cube settled into the dirt, and I found the camera that could see Chell. She crawled over to the water, looking fragile as ever, and began cupping up drinks. Her thin hands held very little amounts of water, but nonetheless, it was hydrating her. She gulped the river water lovingly, then looked over to her cube.

Chell dipped her hands in the water, then went over to the box and let the liquid splash against the top. A small smirk formed on my face, but quickly faded into a frown. She did nothing for a while; just stared at the cube. Her expression changed from a frown, to furrowed brows, to full ager and hatred. Without warning, she kicked the cube into the water. Now half of the camera's vision was blurred and disoriented. Luckily the top was all I needed to see her. I zoomed in to get a better image, and what I saw shocked me. She wore an expression of complete fury. Her eyes burned with intense hatred, and her hands were balled into tight fists. All I could think about at that moment was, _I did this to her_. I made her hate me. That hurt. No matter how many times I deleted the emotion, it came back stronger. It hurt to know that the only person even remotely important to me hated everything about me.

So full of regret and sorrow, I set off to begin my apology for when she returned. I switched the camera off and started cleaning up the facility for her arrival. All of the floors and walls were replaced with shiny new ones. I set tubes all around the room coming from the ceiling. And, last but not least, I prepared a very special gift for her; one that I've been working on for years. I was so full of excitement, I turned back to the Cube Cam to see Chell glaring it down.

For the first part of the surprise, I turned off the power of the cube and stalled a new feature into it. In order for the installation to work, all power and energy needed to be shut down. Her once closed eyes snapped open, and she looked at the cube with a horrible expression of fear. It stung to see that, but I ignored it and continued my work. _This will be much better than a pathetic glow and mechanical hum, just you wait, dear Chell_. I froze for a second when I thought that, but quickly shook it off, having no time to argue with myself about feelings.

I glanced to the camera to see the woman lying on her back, her eyes closed, and a shining streak coming from the corner of her eye. That was my cue. Quickly, I turned on the power, and the cube glowed magnificently brighter, but not too bright. But that's not what got her attention. When the music played, she instantly sat up and looked around, settling on the cube in the stream. The Companion Cube hummed the lullaby Caroline sang to her, and that I had played her upon leaving my facility. She glowed at the sight of the cube, and pulled her fried out of the water, nestling it into her. The lullaby repeated itself quietly to Chell, like a mother would to her child. Chell closed her eyes, a faint smile touching her dry, chapped lips, and she began to drift away.

A sharp chirp jerked me back to my chamber. I moved to Blue's view and saw that he and Orange were chasing a bird. "What are you doing," I fumed, "You have three and a half hours in your test, and you're wasting the time chasing evil rats with wings! Get focused or I will be sure only one of you will be reassemble next time." Orange jumped at my words and stared at Blue, her legs slightly shaking. Obviously the thought of losing each other was worse than not being reassembled. Blue gestured back to the road, and the two proceeded on their journey. With each minute that passed, I became very worried for Chell. Any moment could be her last. I commented about their pace once more, and the two sped up into a sprint. Much better.

For a long time, only wind sounded around Orange and Blue, but after an agonizing wait, I heard the humming lullaby of the Companion Cube. "Stop," I said, "That music. Follow the music." Orange started towards the tune, followed by Blue, until they came to a river. Perfect, they were close; so close. A few minutes passed as both robots walked along the river, getting closer and closer to the music. All was quiet, until Orange stepped on a fallen branch. It snapped, echoing through the street. She froze, but Blue just urged her forward. Finally they saw her; lying by the cube, looking directly at them. First she looked at Blue, who looked at Orange, who looked at Blue, then Chell, who was now looking at Orange. "She's dying. Hurry up." I said anxiously. Blue nodded to Orange, who shot a portal into the ground, showing the golden sea of wheat on the other side. It was very smart of Orange to do that; I should reward her with Cooperation Points when they get back. Blue leaned in to pick up Chell, who had just passed out, then went through the portal.


	7. Surprise

Surprise!

**[Wow, a lot of updates. I oly had a few chapters left, so I decided, why not just upload the rest? So I'll put the others up here.]**

Chell – Bright, white light leaked in through my eyelids. I squinted, still half asleep, trying to block out the amazingly blinding light. It took several minutes to get used to it, and half as long to realize where I was. No other light could be this blinding, yet have the temperature be so cold. A shiver ran through my body, and instantly the room heated up perfectly. I sat up and suddenly everything around me dimmed, ad my body felt numb. Almost just as quickly, I fell back down and closed my eyes. Ow, my head hurt so much. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to make this nightmare end. It had to be a nightmare, because I was miles away from this place. It was either a nightmare, or Hell.

When a tune played to my right, I knew it was the latter. A radio sat to my right, playing that horrible, annoying song it always had. Automatically my mind put the lyrics to the sound.

_I'm not even angry. I'm being so sincere right now. Even though you broke my heart and killed me._

I sighed, wincing when my head throbs. No matter how much I'll hate this place, I'll always hate that song more. Suddenly the music stopped ad silence filled the room. Just as the music stopped, there was a quiet thud of something falling, followed by the lullaby my Companion Cube was playing. I opened my eyes and looked to my right to see the all familiar cube by my bed. Along with the cube, in the corner of my eye, I saw an IV in my arm. Perfect; more flavorless nourishment. Right as I thought that, I heard the voice that haunted my dreams.

"Good Morning," She said, way too cheery for comfort, "How do you feel?"

I rolled my eyes. Like she really expects me to talk. She remains silent as she waits for a answer. _Just peachy_, I snorted in my head. "Sarcastic remarks give no real data," She replied. That was really weird. She just spoke to me like I actually talked.

"Oh, that's part of the surprise."

First, I was confused about how she was hearing me, but then my attitude took over and I rolled my head, _Yeah, sure, _another_ surprise I'm not looking forward to._

"Oh, this is a _real_ surprise. One you'll love." She said, yet again reading my thoughts. _How are you doing that?_ I yelled allowed in my head. "That's the second part of your surprise. It's called a Micro Thought Translator. I invented it."

A Micro Thought Translator? What the heck is that? GLaDOS answered me, her voice rich with excitement, "It's a microchip I planted in your brain. It translated your thoughts into words in my computer. So now you can talk, technically." She gave a quiet hum of self-satisfaction This must have been a big thing for her. "Oh it was! Do you know how this would affect how humans interact with computers in the future?"

I huffed. _I feel sorry for you. That was a waste of time. Everyone's dead up there_. Flashes of the bodies and dining crows swam through my mind. GLaDOS fell silent for a minute. When she spoke, she changed the subject, "There's filtered water in the fridge across from you. If you want any, just call Blue or Orange and they'll do what you ask." Her voice was so sweet. It made me nervous and uneasy. All I wanted was to be away from this place. _Why am I back here anyway? I thought you let me go, or did you lie about that too? I thought._

GLaDOS spoke again, sounding a bit disturbed, "You were infected with a disease unknown to man. It killed everyone. It nearly killed you, but Orange and Blue got you back here just in time," She perked up a bit at the end of her speech.

I pulled the IV's out of my am, stood up and looked around. So _nightmare _was now marked off the list. That leaves only my second option. The AI hesitated, "Well, how about we get to that surprise?" The room started moving, jerking the radio off of the table, landing with a thud. We noisily made our way through halls and chambers, all the while GLaDOS babbling on to me about the robots, although I hardly paid attention, "…as I watched both of them test, I felt something missing…" I zoned her out, too focused on finding an escape. I was expecting GLaDOS to snap back to reality and insult me, calling me too brain damaged to listen to a simple story, but she just kept talking.

Before long, the room was raising, slowly entering her chamber. The moment I saw the room, I knew something was up. GLaDOS hung high and mighty, nearing the end of her babbling. She would look around, then at me, the back to her walls, the back to me, constantly as she talked. I was almost about to tell her to shut up, when she stopped and looked at me.

"Well, here we are again, just as it used to be before you allowed Wheatly to ruin my facility." She squinted with her optic, seeming as to smile. That made me extremely uneasy. There was something wrong, and I wasn't intending to stay and find out. She watched me for a minute, "Do you remember when I said it was your birthday, and I said I had a surprise for you?"

I glared at her, _How could I forget?_ I thought as I leaned against the window, still looking around for an exit. She ignored my venom and continued, "Well, I've been thinking about the whole surprise thing, and it was cruel to bring up your parents like that. Yes, I lied about meeting them, but this surprise will make up for that."

_Let me guess…You say this time I'll really meet my parents_, I squinted my eyes at her. The AI perked up, "Yes! Well, no…But yes." That didn't faze me; I stood with my arms crossed, staring into the optic of the machine. GLaDOS watched me, her optic wide with excitement, which wore off when I didn't react. She tilter her head to the side, "You _did_ hear me, right?" I nodded, _And I don't believe you_.

She nodded, "Understandable, but this time I'm not lying." Not that saying that would make me all of a sudden believe her. The machine was silent for a minute, then tons of tubes came out from the ceiling. _You know, the deadly gas directed at me doesn't support what you just said, _I thought irately. GLaDOS simply ignored me, "I'm just setting things up for when I introduce you to your mother," She hummed, moving the wall panels in a way that designed a cake. How cheesy can she be? So there's my surprise: death with a side of cake. She chuckled quietly at the thought, "I figured you would find that amusing. I always promised cake, when all the while I never made one."

A panel in the floor by me opened and a small cupcake rose out from below. I stared at it in disbelief; she doesn't actually expect me to fall for that. The AI spoke, "I baked it myself, no fish." I looked at the robot, who was watching me carefully with interest, and then down to the cupcake. Carefully, I kneeled down and picked up the treat, examining it closely. Several thoughts went through my head, which no doubt GLaDOS heard. _If I'm going to die, why not just enjoy? Who cares if it's poisoned? You'll be dead soon anyway._ Half of me thought, while the other half argued, _You still have a chance. All you have to do is get out of this glass room, and you'll be sure to beat her again._ Both sides bickered as I stared at the cake. Finally the temptation was too strong, and I took some of the frosting off, resting my finger in my mouth. Instantly the sweet sugar melted on my tongue, spreading throughout my mouth. I closed my eyes and indulged in the sweet, sugary delight. Nothing could possible taste as wonderful as that saccharine cake.

The AI whirred in satisfaction at my thoughts. I opened my eyes to see her optic was closed. My guess was that she had the same sensation I had, if robots were able to taste. Watching how the machine rocked ever so slightly I concluded that they could. She looked so happy there, which both sent a shiver down my spine and pleased me. It was good to finally see the robot enjoy something other than pain and death. Suddenly GLaDOS stopped swaying and opened her optic. She glanced to me, then looked around, "Well, now that you can believe that I wasn't going to kill you, we can proceed with the surprise."

I sighed, _Fine, where's my mother?_ My mental tone gave away that I was just humoring her. GLaDOS suddenly froze up. She looked at the floor, then to me. I gave her an expectant look and she found her voice, "Your mother worked here…Well, she was actually the secretary of the CEO of Aperture."

I furrowed my brows, _She worked here?_ GLaDOS nodded, "She had a baby girl in the spring. She named her Chell, short for Chelsea, which was her mother's name. Her mother loved her with all of her heart; she would do anything for the little girl. Unfortunately, she was unable to keep her daughter," The robot paused, seeming to remember something, "Cave Johnson had created the idea to put a man's brain mind into a computer, and he was going to be the first to try it out. Sadly, he was very sick when he finished the project, and died shortly before he was supposed to test it out. Before he died, he told everyone that he wanted his secretary to take his spot if he passed before the completion of his project. So, they forced her into a machine, even though she absolutely did not want to be crammed into a computer for the rest of eternity-" She snarled, becoming very angry. She took a second to calm down before continuing, "But they did it anyway, no matter how much she struggled and begged. Being the way things were, her baby was taken and given to the first family possible."

I stood up, interrupting her train of thought, _Wait…Wasn't Cave Johnson the guy in those prerecorded messages? I remember he said something about that; about having his secretary take charge of the facility when he left_. GLaDOS looked at me, her body more stiff than usual. Was she afraid of something? I thought back to what he said, struggling to get the exact words.

"_I will say this, and I'm gonna say it on tape so everyone hears it a hundred times a day: If I die before you people can pour me into a computer, I want Caroline to run this place. Now she'll argue -she's modest like that. But you make her! Hell, put her in my computer, I don't care."_ He said, full of enthusiasm. I replayed that once more in my head until the realization dawned on me.

_**[Ugh, so difficult to write these last chapters! Oh well, I'll do my best!]**_


	8. Ocean Of Memories

Ocean of Memories

**[A/N: I've been stuck so bad on the last chapter. I just couldn't get anything out on paper. Sorry if it's a bit choppy or it it's poorly written. I'll try to make this next chapter better (no promises). Thanks, and remember; reviews are our friends!]**

GLaDOS – She stood silently for several minutes, digging through her memories to find what Cave had once said about Caroline. He was going on about putting a human brain into a computer, like putting music onto a compact disk. For years he was working on it, although growing weaker every day from the moon dust poisoning. When he died, Caroline was forced into a computer, losing her friends, family, her young daughter. She lost everything, including her past. She was nothing but a cold, heartless machine built strictly for science. Those monsters took her daughter, giving her away to a fellow employee, who only had a part-time job there, but was very close to Caroline. They were like siblings; always there for one another.

I watched Chell as she pieced everything together. Her eyes darted to me and her thought echoed in my head faintly, _Caroline is my birth mother…_ I nodded, mentally smiling. Sudden bursts of confetti fell from each tube, blanketing the floor with streams of pink, yellow and blue. "Surprise!" I said, as excited as I can. Chell stared at me blankly. At first I thought she had blacked out, so full of emotion. I moved in a little closer to her, "Che-"

_You deleted my mother! _She fumed, _All these years and you didn't tell me, and then you delete her like she's nothing!_ Her face tinted red as she glared at me. I stiffened, "I didn't know about her until Wheatly took over." Chell tightened her fists, _But you deleted her! You threw her away! All that I had left of my life and you throw her away like a piece of trash!_

I was silent, honestly unsure of what to say. I couldn't say she was still a part of me, because that was a lie. Although, I haven't been the same since the incident with Wheatly. Maybe I hadn't deleted her completely. I did another check of my memory banks, storage back-ups, back-ups to my storage back-ups, but found nothing. Maybe it was just me? No, I didn't care about her. Did I? _Of course not! She's just a pathetic human that has ruined your life._ My internal voice hissed. The other half argued, speaking in a much more gentle tone, _But you saved her life. If you didn't care about her, you would have let her die_. I was torn between thoughts. The continuous battle between both halves shorted out my circuits, causing me to black out for thirty seconds. When I returned, the woman in front of me was red at a beet, standing with the same defiant stance. Her fists were tight, her face was pink, and her eyes were filled with hatred. Her subconscious thoughts swam around in my mind, confirming the anger she felt towards me.

Looking at her, seeing the tears well up in her eyes, I regretted everything. Fury filled me. I shouldn't have told her. I shouldn't have even brought her back here. I shouldn't have even saved her the first time. Everything would have been better if she had been dead a long time ago. _You don't believe that_, the soothing voice said to me. I disagreed, glaring forward at the girl. None of this would have happened if Caroline hadn't have saved Chell. She would be dead. Wheatly would be gone, and I could test without a care in the world - _You're wrong,_ The voice said suddenly. What? _Caroline didn't save Chell. You did. There was no Caroline._ I swear I could feel some of my circuits fry with confusion. That didn't make sense. If there was no Caroline, there was no Chell, and that was clearly wrong because I could see the woman in front of me. _They put Caroline into the computer, that which is you, so that means_ you_ are _Caroline_._

Everything froze. That actually made sense. Caroline wasn't software downloaded into me; she wasn't so many bytes of information that could be so easily deleted; she was me, the whole computer. She was just filled with so much new information, and the shock of the whole event caused me to forget everything about her. That made sense. Now, I looked at the woman in front of me, no longer showing anger or disbelief, but instead sorrow and pain. She finally found out who her mother was, just to find out there was no trace of her left. But that was a lie. Her mother was never deleted; only the temporary surge of emotions that took hold of me. She was ever gone; she was always right with her daughter, keeping a close eye on her throughout her life.

At that moment, thousands images filled my mind. Images of Chell as a child, running through the tests as if they were just games. Images of Cave Johnson; of Caroline's husband; her family and friends. Of her daughter, cradled securely in her arms. She rocked the child serenely, singing an Italian lullaby quietly as the baby girl slowly drifted to sleep. One small yawn slipped through the infant's mouth before she finally dozed off.

_A knock sounded at the door of my house. I carefully placed Chell in her crib and quietly left the room to answer. Upon opening the door, I knew it had happened. It was only a matter of time; he was getting so weak so fast. I smiled gently at the men in my doorway. They were two young me, probably around their late twenties, that worked in Aperture with me. One employee looked at me with sad eyes,_

_"Caroline," he said, hesitating to finish. I hushed him ad gave a small, caring smile,_

_"I know. Mr. Johnson's dead," I said, only truly feeling the emptiness when the worlds came out of my mouth. My lips twisted into a frown and I looked down. The men cleared their throat._

_The first man spoke again, "Actually, that's not all we needed to talk to you about. We need you to come down to the facility."_

_I waited for more information, but none came. The boys watched me, as I watched them. I nodded, confused, and started heading back to Chell's room, "Okay, but I can't leave Chell-"_

_"Don't worry, Caroline, We'll take care of her. Alan will watch her for you while you come with me," The second employee grabbed my arm, pulling me back; "It's not safe for a baby there. She's safe here."_

_I hesitated, watching as Alan went to the back room where Chell lay sleeping. Something inside me struck odd, and I shook my head. There was no way I was going to leave my daughter here with a stranger. No way, "I'm not leaving her here alone with him. I want to bring my daughter."_

_"You can't. It's not safe for her. You want your daughter safe, don't you?" The employee asked and I looked at him. Of course I wanted her safe. There's nothing I wanted more than for her to be safe and happy. Finally, I nodded and the man led me to the car. Before leaving, I looked back at the house, back to my baby girl._

A sudden jolt of electricity brought me back to the present. I didn't move, though, I was still actually taking it all in. After that memory disappeared, several others took its place. Memories of the eerie look of the machine before I was forced into it; memories of the agonizing pain; of the horrible sorrow I felt on a daily basis, thinking I lost my darling Chell. The more recent the memories, the stronger they were, and the more vivid they were. One memory especially vivid was the Bring Your Daughter to Work day.

_Several young girls ran around, listening to the tour guide, presenting their several potato batteries. One girl in particular, looking to be four or five, had one specific potato-powered toy, resembling a portal. She had a potato connected to a large black block, which showed a blue light moving in an oval. Everyone thought it was cute, figuring her father gave her the idea, and thought nothing more of it._

_Instantly upon looking at her, I knew that was my daughter. I saw her run up to an employee I knew well and held his hand. Waves of fury built up in me. She wasn't his daughter. She was _my_ daughter! So full of rage and unable to control myself, I put out Neurotoxin through every vent I the building besides my chamber, and locked all doors, including my chamber. Moments upon releasing the gas, everyone began to die. I watched as they slowly chocked, each breath becoming harder and more strained. Several shocks of pleasure went through me. I was thoroughly entertained by their suffering, so much so that I didn't notice when Chell had escaped into my chamber (the only room clean of the deadly gasses). As I watched, a dark, menacing chuckle sounded from my speakers, and something in me changed. Caroline was gone, and GLaDOS was born._

I blinked as another jolt of electricity went through me. Everything made sense now. When I changed and saw little Chell in my room, I was surprised that she made it out. Such a wonderful mind couldn't be wasted; I immediately put her into testing. And ever since, she's been here. Poor Chell; She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I looked at her, now crying silently. She was sitting against the back glass window, holding her head, her hair falling around her face, forbidding me to see her. We sat in our positions for a few minutes, both as she calmed herself down, and as I continue to take everything in. I was so out of it, I hardly noticed a single thought of hers. But finally, my senses came to me, slow as ever, and I was fully aware of everything.

Instantly my mind swarmed with regrets about me, promises toward my suffering, feelings towards me. I leaned in closer, wanting to tell here everything. All of my memories pushed to get out to her, but I held them back. Maybe things are better left untold. _Well, you _have_ to tell her about her mother. She deserves to know the truth about that_. I hesitated and the voice spoke again, _Look at her. Don't make her mourn for something she should be happy about. Give her, her mother_. It stressed the last sentence.

I nodded and brought the windows down so she could walk around. She looked up and around, her eyes red and watery. A beat of silence filled the room once the walls stopped moving, and then I spoke, "Something happened just now," I was as vague as can be. Chell glared up at me and I flinched slightly at her thoughts, "While you cried, I experienced something that changes everything dramatically."

The woman lifted her head and looked at me, her anger slowly fading into exhaustion. She waited patiently for me to continue; I took a moment to word my spinning thoughts, "Just now, I lived through several memories of Caroline. I saw you as a child, as an infant in my arms-" _Your arms?_ She cut me off, catching my words. I simply nodded, "What I realized…after reliving those memories, I learned that Caroline was ever deleted. She cannot be deleted; the only way she can be deleted is if I, myself, was deactivated permanently."

Chell stared at me with confused eyes. Obviously she didn't quite understand me. I sighed and reiterated, "I am Caroline." She looked more surprised now, but still a bit confused. Finally I let it out, "Chell, I'm your birth mother," I watched her for any reaction. Her expression was one of complete shock. Her jaw dropped and her eyes were as wide as they could get. She was so shocked that even her thoughts were silent. She was literally speechless. I waited patiently for her to let the shock pass, and when she returned she slowly stood up, keeping her eyes directly on me. We both remained silent as she walked towards me. Her feet lightly pressed onto the floor, nearly impossible to hear her bare skin against the hard surface. Things moved slowly as she stopped in front of me and raised her hand to me. I tried hard not to flinch when her skin touched my metal, having never been touched before, it was a new sensation.

Her hand sent shocks through me from where she placed her palm. I closed my optic, enjoying the warmth of her hand. Somewhere inside me I hummed, unsure if it was internal or external, but a quiet, choked out laugh assured that it was external. I opened my optic and looked at her; new tears fell from her eyes, running down her cheek and past the small smile that tugged at her lips. She looked at me with a new type of joy. One that was stronger than what she felt when she was let go, one stronger than when I gave her the Companion Cube. This one didn't express the joy of relief, or having something to suppress loneliness; this one was sincere happiness of having someone to love.

**[Whew! Finally! Sorry if this turned out choppy. The last few chapters have been very difficult to write out. Oh well, it is what it is. Please; review, review, review! They'reare just as loved as the Companion Cube!]**


	9. People ChangeThings Change People

People Change…Things Change People

Chell – So many things were swirling around my head. So many emotions were present at the same time; it was beginning to give me a headache. All I wanted was another day, free of all the stress ad drama I had in Aperture. Not only did I wind up back in the stasis chamber, I had a huge surprise lying ahead of me. This surprise wasn't a lie, like last time she had mentioned my parents, but still it stirred up a bunch of raw, negative emotions.

GLaDOS explained how my mother was the secretary of the CEO of Aperture. She explained how she was forced into a computer. She explained how I was tossed aside to her friend, making them my new father. Although, she never mentioned my real birth father; I figured he was dead. I raged when she told me she deleted my mother. I yelled as loud as I could in my head, filling my mental voice with such fury I nearly blew my head off. GLaDOS didn't reply. She sat silently, staring at me like I was overreacting. There was nothing I could do besides glare at her. Anger welled up inside me. After a second of nothing from the machine, I picked up the radio and threw it at the glass as hard as I could. It only bounced off, leaving nothing but a scratch. But I didn't care, it got my anger out. I picked up the musical half-circle and slammed it against the window. Repeatedly, I swung the box against the glass, breaking only the radio. So drunk with anger, I proceeded to slam my fists against the wall. She didn't budge.

Finally exhaustion overtook my body and I fell to the floor, weeping. How could she do that? Caroline was my only sense of my past. She was the only thing that kept me alive. She was the only thing left of my life that actually mattered to me, and GLaDOS wiped her from the face of the Earth. Now she was gone, and I was alone yet again. Not that she gave me any company, physically or theoretically, but still; she was my _mother_! Tears quickly formed in my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. Nothing mattered anymore. Honestly, I didn't care if GLaDOS killed me after this. Death would be a shining option compared to agonizing days full of physical and emotional abuse. Another sob followed that thought, as if my body was agreeing with me. I covered my face and curled my legs up under me.

The large room filled with the echoes of my mourning. My breaths and sniffs ricocheted off the walls. GLaDOS finally moved, only a little, though, and spoke, "Something happened just now…" She muttered. I shot a glare in her direction, far from caring about the AI. The machine spoke again, "While you cried, I experienced something that changes things dramatically," Her voice was low, how she always sounded before trying to kill me. I looked up expecting a short "goodbye, it was nice testing you," speech. She then commenced to tell me that my mother's memories filled her head. She said she experienced each one of them. I stopped her when she said _she _was holding me. I figured it was a mistake in her wording, getting the memories and reality mixed up, but she nodded. She knew exactly what she said, and pushed forward with the lecture. Only when she said Caroline couldn't be deleted did I hold a puzzled look. That wasn't making any sense. She had just told me she deleted her, but now she's saying that _if_ she _did_ do it, she would have to be deactivated. She's sending mixed signals, and I made it clear that I was not understanding.

The large machine sighed and spoke slowly, "I am Caroline." I raised my eyebrows, decently surprised at this statement, but still, I remained confused as to what huge change this was. Yes, so she didn't delete Caroline; she couldn't have, but how does it change everything so dramatically? It doesn't change how she looks at me, or thinks of me. It just means that she herself didn't save my life. That's all. Seconds after her previous comment, the AI noted my confusion and spoke again, this time speaking more rushed ad getting directly to the point. "Chell, I am you birth mother," GLaDOS said, eyeing me carefully. _That_ surprised me.

I could feel my jaw drop and sense my eyes widening, but aside from that, I was numb. All of my senses dulled as my thoughts traced back to all of the horrid tests she had put me through. How could my own mother do that to me? She taunted me, mocked me, put me through traumatizing nightmarish tests, and yet she hadn't the heart to stop? Not even for her own daughter? Although, I knew that was what she was made for; testing. _It's not her fault, exactly,_ I heard inside my head, _Like she said, she didn't even know about Caroline until that moron sent us to the unused part of the facility. And, as she explained, she _just_ found this part out, too, so you're not alone when it comes to the shock._ That was true; GLaDOS didn't even know until now. I looked at the AI, hanging low from the ceiling, opposing to her queenly stance from when I entered the room.

Being still numb throughout my body, I was unaware when my legs started moving. The only giveaway I had was that the machine was getting closer. For a split second I was filled with panic, unsure what she would do if I got near her, but that faded away when she only moved closer to the ground. We both stared directly at each other as I moved. Honestly I was surprised that she wasn't shying away, instead she kept her optical trained on me. Finally my legs stopped moving, and now I was only half a foot away from the machine that had numerous times tried to kill me. Slowly my hand moved up and towards the mechanical figure. Her optic shrunk, as if she were afraid of my contact, and her large metal body sort of shook, but only slightly. I ignored that and gently placed my hand right above her optical. Her body was cooled, but not cold, and I could feel the hum of working machinery inside her. She closed her optic and a light, pleasurable coo came from her. I couldn't hold back a chuckle there, although it sounded more like a sob under my new tears. Her optic opened and she rest her golden eye on me, observing the new waterworks and the faint, ghost of a smile that played at my mouth.

Here we were, standing face to face in her room once again, although no longer with the same purpose. All that I could think about was that I finally have someone from my life, in my life. I had someone to love and care for, and looking at the AI at that moment, I knew she felt the same way. A yaw broke through my lips and suddenly it felt as all of the energy had been drained from my body. My legs felt weak, ad my mind was easy to wander off to different thoughts. Something made a noise behind me, but before I could turn to see what it was, the soft melodic lullaby played from the cube. Giving in to gravity, I allowed myself to sit down, leaning against the cube. The tune played quietly into my ear, giving the impression of a mother singing to her sleeping child. I closed my eyes and let my exhaustion take over.

**[And that's it! Thanks to you who have reviewed, I really appreciate it. Although this may seem like I'm ending with oe big questioned unanswered, I'll answer it here: Use your wonderful imagination, comined with logical thinking, and come up with the answer. Thanks again, and remember, the future starts with you!]**


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